In electronics manufacturing, it is necessary to mount various product components, such as electronic components, various chips, or semi-finished products, onto a circuit board. A feeding system is often used to feed the product components to improve assembly efficiency. The feeding system includes a hopper, a vibration tray, and a conveyor belt. The hopper is used to accommodate the products. The products fall from a discharge port of the hopper onto the vibration tray, which vibrates to change posture of the products so that the products are in an identifiable posture. The products are transferred by the conveyor belt to a pick-up station of a manipulator.
The products discharged from the hopper, however, are easily entangled and are difficult to separate. The products often accumulate on the vibration tray or the conveyor belt, which reduces the feeding efficiency of the products.